


Stirring

by JustChuggingAlong



Series: The Ego Realm [6]
Category: Markiplier Egos, Video Blogging RPF, jacksepticeye egos - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Evil entities, Gen, Happy Ending, Horseback Riding, Horses, Kidnapping, M/M, Maryland slander, Mentions of Death, Minor Injuries, My first bigger project so I'll try my best, Serious Injuries, ships aren't a main focus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-11-24 07:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18162725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustChuggingAlong/pseuds/JustChuggingAlong
Summary: A new danger seems to be creeping up from the forest. Maybe before the egos could have dismissed its dangers, but not it seems it's worse than they thought.





	1. The Trail

After Mark rode a horse, for the first time ever, the Ipliers had a bright idea to go horseback riding. A group of them decided it would be fun to go over to a ranch and go on a trail ride. Obviously it wasn’t every Iplier. All twenty-one of them storming a horse barn would not be a fun sight for anyone. Many of the egos were busy or just didn’t want to go. In the end, it was Eric, Randall, Yan, Oliver, Ed, Host, and Dark.

Even then not all seven would get on a horse. Both Oliver and Dark planned to remain on the ground that day. Oliver, being made of metal, was too heavy for a horse, and Dark didn’t really want to get on. He was mostly there to supervise. The others were really looking forward to riding a horse. Except for Eric, who was incredibly nervous, just like he was around all animals. He’s calmed down some around his capybara Caramia and a select few of King’s squirrels, but there was still that underlying fear that he’d accidentally hurt them in some way.

The others were very excited. Yan loved horses. They were such beautiful creatures and he’d always wanted to ride one. Randall has never seen one in person, having lived in the city his whole life, and so was looking forward to finally seeing one. Ed knows a lot about horses and he was excited to show off his knowledge. Host felt it was a good chance to relax, since they wouldn’t be doing much besides walking on the trail, and the horses were trained to just follow the line.

When they reached the ranch, the instructor almost fainted straight away. There was nothing more intimidating than seven people materializing out of the air in front of you. Even if they had just walked in, having a bunch of Ipliers show up would make anyone piss themselves on the spot. Luckily, the instructor managed to hold himself together and keep up the inviting facade.

He was a minor character. Just there as an extra next to the stronger egos that ruled the realm. Unlike egos, they didn't come back once they were dead. Which meant if you were near characters like the Ipliers, you had to tread carefully. Luckily for him, he got a relatively peaceful group, and the ones who weren't hadn't planned on doing anything. Not today, at least. 

“Do we- do we need a horse for all of you?”

“No. Oliver and I don't plan on riding today.”

He and another instructor brought out five horses, and nervously introduced each one. A chestnut quarter horse named Luna, a Norwegian fjord named Guy, a palomino named Eden, a black and white paint horse named Berry, and a bay Arabian named Wish.

“Who's the calmest?” Dark asked.

“Um, Eden is.”

“Eric will get Eden, then.”

Once the horses were passed out, Eric was on Eden, Randall on Berry, Yan on Guy, Host on Luna, and Ed on Wish. Most of them got on with ease and only a little direction, save for Eric, who was almost refusing to get on. He’d been semi-confident going into this but now that he was actually here, he didn’t want to risk getting on the horse.

The second instructor, who had introduced herself as Mariana and was a lot more put-together than her colleague, went up to Eric to help him out. “Eden is super friendly,” she said. “You don’t have to worry.”

“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about her.”

Mariana glanced towards Dark with a questioning look, and he nodded towards Oliver, who was quick to swoop in. Eventually, after some quiet discussion between him and Eric, Eric gathered enough courage to step onto the block and mount the horse. He forced himself to take a deep breath as he cautiously ran a hand down the mare’s neck.

Mariana went through the various procedure. She didn’t have much to go over, especially since Dark had told her to only do a simple trail. Nothing past a walk, since there was only one experienced rider, and they also had a blind man and an anxious mess with them. Luckily, Eden’s calming presence seemed to have a good effect on Eric. The horse just radiated tranquility, enough to compete with even Caramia.

The trail went along the beach and took a small detour through the forest. Not deep enough to have to worry about the monsters, but they still had to be on guard. Luckily with the combination of Host’s narrations, Yandere’s strange ability to sense danger, and the horses’ own heightened senses, they’d know the minute something was wrong.

Mariana led the group from the front on her own horse, a feisty appaloosa named Olive. The other five horses followed obediently behind, Eric on Eden in the front directly behind Mariana, and Ed on Wish in the back. “How long is th’ trail?” Ed called up to Mariana.

“About an hour and a half.”

The ride was quite relaxing. Walking along the beach, the sound of the waves was a nice one to hear. They left hoof prints in the sand as the group loosely followed the set path. It was a very nice day, with the sun shining bright above their heads and white clouds scattered in the sky. The ocean was calm today and the tide was currently low, making it a good day for the ride. Things were going great. Even Eric had begun to calm down, letting himself enjoy the nice weather.

Much of the time they remained quiet, save for Host’s mumbling narrations, but occasionally one of them spoke up to make conversation. Usually it was between themselves, but sometimes one of them called a question over to Mariana. Sometimes they were reasonable, but once in a while one of the five asked a question that bordered on concerning.

“Theoretically, how easily could horses kill, say, a meddling classmate?” Yan piped up from his place in front of Ed. “Theoretically, of course.”

Somehow Mariana managed to keep herself more or less together, and answered each question with ease. Luckily for her sanity, most questions asked were genuinely curious questions about horse care, the trail, and the ranch.

The trail stuck to this general pattern until they finally reached the forest. Then everyone quieted and remained on guard. None of the five really feared the forest. Even Eric, who was so nervous, had been out there so much between hanging out with King and helping the Googles build an enclosure for Caramia. Plus, to him, nothing out in the forest could really do worse than what has already happened to him in the past.

Even then, they knew it was smart to remain vigilant. Just the other day the cast of Resident Enis were attacked by werewolves, and they hadn’t been that far in. Incidents like that have been becoming far more common, as the creatures within the forest began to stir. Up front, Mariana looked tense. As a minor figment, she had something to lose. The others would just come back if they were killed. But her… not so much.

The Host was first to react when something went wrong. In a split second he had vaulted off of Luna and landed on both feet, holding a baseball bat that definitely hadn’t been there before. The horses were next. Olive panicked and bucked, and Mariana made an emergency dismount before she was thrown. Ed managed to get off his own horse as well, and so did Eric, but the other two weren’t so lucky

Randall’s horse Berry bucked and Randall was thrown off, hitting the ground with a thud. Yandere tumbled off of Guy when he began galloping forward at top speed. The two horses took off into the trees and out of the forest, closely followed by the others.

The Host spun around to face the instructor. “Mariana should get out of here now. The others can just come back, but she cannot.” Mariana just nodded and dashed off. She wanted to help, but she was smart enough to know when to save herself.

Yan bounded onto his feet. Beside a scrape on his face, he seemed uninjured. Randall managed to pull himself up as well, although he was clutching his right shoulder.

The five stood together in a circle, facing outwards into the forest, waiting for something to strike. A dark purple mist began to surround their feet. “The Host wants the others to run away now.”

They never got the chance. Before they could even move, shadowy shapes formed from the smoke and charged them all at once.

Back at the ranch, where Dark and Oliver had been patiently waiting, Mariana came stumbling in. She was in an awful state and none of the horses were with here. The two Ipliers were on their feet in seconds. Oliver went to help her, but Dark stood over her. She had some explaining to do.

Because Ipliers can’t go missing. They're too powerful. And Dark didn't want to think about something strong enough to take five of them.


	2. Miles From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The missing egos find themselves in some sort of predicament. Some of them take it well...

Host let out a groan, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His head throbbed in pain, but otherwise he seemed fine. He slowly got back onto his feet, so as to not make his head worse. 

He opened his mouth to narrate so he could place where exactly he is. But nothing came out. A jolt of panic went through his body as he tried to get the visions into his head and out of his mouth, but every time nothing happened. It just wouldn't work. He was blind. Actually and truly blind.

He took a deep breath in order to quell the rising panic. He couldn't see anyways, but with his narrations he hadn't ever been fully blind since he first lost his eyes. Forcing himself to keep calm, he crouched down and felt at the ground until his hand landed on something. His bat. Oh, thank God.

He stood back up reached out with his arms, but nothing seemed to be around him. He took several careful steps to the right before the bat in his hand hit a wall. From there, he followed the wall towards where he heard the bustle people. He probably ended up in the city and was in some sort of alley.

What happened in the forest? He'd told the others to run, but then there was smoke, and these shadowy shapes jumped on them, and that was the last thing Host remembered. And now he had woken up somewhere else without his powers working.

His head shot up when he heard footsteps behind him, and he spun around, swinging his bat at high speed. He heard a yelp and a thump as whoever he tried to attack stumbled backwards and hit something, probably the floor. “Woah buddy, chill out. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help.”

Host tried to place the voice but was unable to. Typically he was good at judging which character was who by their voice, but he must have never met this person. “Help?” He questioned.

“Yeah, are you alright? You look like you've just been mugged. I can take you to the hospital, if you need. What's your name?”

The Host shook his head, about to tell him that he didn't need to go to the hospital, but faltered when he heard the last question. What was his name? Everybody in the realm knew his name. He was a powerful ego in a group of other powerful egos. So why would this person not know who he was?

“The Host would like to know what this place is,” he asked.

A pause. “Seattle.”

“Seattle, Washington?”

“Um, yeah. Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital? I'd be more than willing to help out.”

The Host stepped forward towards the stranger, and pointed his bat towards where he was pretty sure the man was standing. “The Host tells the man that unless he knows a quick way to get him to Los Angeles, it would be best if he takes his leave.” 

Host waited for the man to leave, but he didn't hear the sound of anyone walking away. With a growl, he chucked the bat in the man's direction. Not to hit him, but to at least scare him off. “Leave!” He snarled, and the man cursed and charged off, leaving Host alone.

He leaned against the wall, trying to collect himself. He was in another realm, powerless and blind, a thousand miles from home. He felt at his pockets, dismayed to find no money and no phone. His phone wouldn't have worked in another realm, but the lack of money was a problem. It meant he was somehow supposed to find a way back to Los Angeles on his own, without his narrations, and without any money or identification.

Fun.

He stepped out if his alley with his bat on his shoulder. Even without his narrations he could tell that everyone walking by was swerving to avoid the weird man with bandages over his eyes and a baseball bat. That man had also said he looks like he was mugged, so that probably added onto his general appearance. Everyone probably thought he was some poor, blind, homeless man.

Well, if he had to fit into that, then he'd do it. He already looked the part. If he could keep up this picture, maybe he wouldn't draw too much attention here while he figured out a way to get home.

Maybe from there he could find the others. Because if Host had found himself deposited in a Seattle alley, he had no idea where the other four had ended up. And chances were, they were having just as much trouble as he was.

But whatever was happening to the others was out of his hands. He also knew that by now, at least, Dark was taking some sort of action to find the missing Ipliers. He just had to trust that everything will end up fine.

 

Ed regretted going on that trip.. He had gone on a trail ride with several of the other Ipliers, which he had been looking forward to. He loved horses! He isn't a very compassionate person, but he will admit he had a soft spot for those stunning creatures. Who wouldn't?

The ride turned out less than ideal. Part of the trail had cut through the forest, but that shouldn't have been a problem. Despite its reputation, Ed has never felt unsafe while in there. He knows to pay attention to his surroundings, but he never really worried. He had assumed this ride would have been the same as always.

Unfortunately, he was extremely wrong. He was lucky enough to not get tossed off his horse, but once Mariana and their horses had fled, it had just been the small team of Ipliers left behind. Even then, he wasn't terribly concerned. Five of the strongest egos would obliterate anything that would come their way. Besides, even if they did die, they’d just come back.

But then Host told them to run, then these shadowy shapes had leapt out of the trees, and the next thing Ed knew, he had woken up in a library of all places. 

At first he thought it was the one in the city, but looking around, he figured it definitely wasn't. This place looked too small, and the people walking around, he realised, weren't characters. They were real people.

He jumped onto his feet in a panic. How in the world did he end up in the real world? The others around him glanced at him when he jumped up, but just went back to their own thing. He dug into his pockets to find his phone, but there was nothing. With a jolt, he realised he didn't have his wallet, either, which meant no money. Seemed like whatever had dropped him here decided to pickpocket him in the process.

Once he was outside the library, he looked around him, trying to assess the situation. He was never much of a thinker, but he had to figure out a good way to get to Mark's office where the portal to the ego realm was. There he could talk to Dark and find some way to get back at whatever had done this to him.

Outside the library was a flagpole, where he recognized the California flag. Good, he was still in California. However, the surrounding buildings did not give him LA vibes in the slightest. He turned back to the library, and above the doors read “Cupertino Library.”

Cupertino. He tried to remember where that was. He’s definitely heard the name before, but he couldn't remember from what. Someone passed him with a phone in their hand, and seeing the symbol on the phone reminded him where exactly he’s heard the city name.

Apple headquarters. Which meant he was in rich man's country.

Well, that solved his money problem. He might have lost all the cash on him, but why did that matter with so much of the stuff around him? Ignoring the truly desperate people, only people with a conscience would reconsider what he was about to do.

Luckily for him, he didn’t have one.

He allowed himself a small grin as he scouted the surrounding area. This place seemed relatively crowded, but there- a young man sitting away from the crowds, on his phone alone. If Ed was careful, nobody would notice him getting threatened.

The man looked up to see Ed standing over him.

“Howdy, friend,” he said. “Think of this as a generous donation towards a noble a cause.”

 

Yan stared at his reflection in the store window, admiring the new clothing he had just stolen. He loved his skirt, but he had been drawing way too much attention with it. Now, with a hoodie and jeans, he looked normal. Boring, even. He just had to pull his hood up to cover his bright red hair, and to hopefully keep his face mostly masked. The last thing he needed was for somebody to come up to him thinking he was Markiplier.

He was a bit uncomfortable in these clothes, but he'd always been good at slipping into different roles. It's necessary if he wants to get closer to someone, to find their weaknesses and what made them crack. He had learned from the best. Now he just had to fit in a role that could keep him on the down low until he figured out what the hell had happened.

So if he had to ditch his comfort clothes, then so be it. He'd integrate himself into the real world.

Although, he had no idea how he even got here. He was in the forest with the others, and then he had woken up on a beach by some touristy-looking coastal city. Based on the countless hoodies, mugs, and hats in the gift shots, he knew he was in Ocean City, Maryland.

Maryland? Really?

After taking a moment to panic a little bit, he took a walk along the beach, taking in where he was. The one good thing about this place, he noticed, was the countless candy stores along the boardwalk. And with so many people everywhere, he can easily slip in, steal some candy, and slip out before anyone could even notice.

Now that was all fine and good, but that still didn’t solve the main problem. How was he supposed to get back to the ego realm? From Maryland of all places?

He was a resourceful character. He had to be, in order to be good at what he did. You can’t kidnap your peers and kill off any possible competition for senpai’s attention without being resourceful. However, he couldn’t think of any good way to get all the way back to Los Angeles. Not without money, at least.

He chose to wander the city for inspiration, and to try to find anything to use as weapons. However, he came up mostly dry, unless he wanted to chuck crab cakes at someone. Although what he did find was a million times better than any weapon he could have scavenged up.

Cars! Those amazing, wonderful machines. Egos don’t have cars in their realm, since they are basically pointless. Everyone always walked everywhere, or warped if they had the ability, which most major egos do. Sometimes characters road skateboards or scooters, or sometimes those extra pretentious ones like that one Sanders Side would summon a full on chariot to ride. But cars? They just didn’t exist.

His eyes landed on a mostly empty parking lot. If he timed it right, he could snatch someone’s keys, take their car, and get out of there before anyone could react. He’d never driven a car before, but how hard could it be?

Fifteen minutes later, he was barrelling down the road at high speed, swerving past the other cars on the road. All he had to do now was make it across country without getting caught. Perfect. He was good at not getting caught.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know I didn't notice until I was going over it but each bit with each character is written slightly differently. Will I ever have a consistent style?  
> Absolutely not.
> 
> ALSO disclaimer I don't dislike Maryland


	3. On Our Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...but other characters, not so much. Meanwhile, Dark has to figure out a way to find the missing Ipliers.

Eric curled up on himself, trying to take deep, slow breaths, like Dr. Iplier had taught him. In, out. In, out. His heart was pounding, blood rushing, and his limbs felt numb. “Calm down, Eric. Calm down. You're fine,” He muttered to himself, wrapping his arms around his legs. “You're fine, Eric. It's okay.”

He knew he shouldn't have gone on the ride. He knew he should've stayed home like he always does. The one time he chooses to go out, everything goes wrong.

Randall sat next to him, a hand rubbing his back. Eric took shaky breaths as he leaned against the other ego.

Eric and Randall had been lucky to land in the same place together, but it didn’t really make the situation any better. They’d woken up in some coffee shop, and now Eric was unable to calm down after being attacked in the forest. People sitting in their own chairs were glancing at them and whispering to each other about the panicking man and his friend.

“You're gonna be fine, you got me?” Randall murmured to Eric. “We'll find out where we are then get back to Dark and the others.”

Randall felt at his pockets, but found they were empty. That meant he had no phone, which wasn’t too big of a deal, but also no money, which was slightly worse. “Eric,” he quietly asked. “Do you have any money?”

Eric’s hands shot to his pockets but came up empty. His eyes landed on Randall’s, the look of alarm in them evident. “How are we supposed to get home now?” He said. He leapt to his feet, and Randall was forced to follow him as he ran out of the cafe. 

They were greeted by a variety of brick buildings on a generic-looking street. Neither of them had any idea where they could possible be. While Eric took a second to calm down and take in his surroundings, Randall snagged the coat of a passerby. “Excuse me? Where are we?”

They gave him a weird look and glanced around. “Philadelphia?”

Dumfounded, Randall let go of their sleeve and turned to Eric. “Eric, did you hear that?”

Eric looked on the verge of another breakdown of some sort, so Randall was quick to grab his arm and bring him towards a wall he could lean on. The young ego began to tear up as he covered his face with his hands. “Randall, we’re so- we’re so far from home. How are we supposed to get back to LA with no money? We have no money!”

“I don’t know, Eric. But we’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so, because… I don’t- I don’t know what we’d do if we- we were stuck here.”

“No, man. I’ll get us out of here.” He looked out at the street, and the occasional person walking by. Lucky for them, they seemed to be in a less dense part of the city, so any attention drawn towards them was minimal. “I just have to figure out how.”

 

Dark raised his head high and pulled himself up to his full height. Of course that wasn't necessary, because Mariana was already sitting down, but that didn't matter. It was the illusion that was important. He had to appear intimidating and confident.

“Five of my Ipliers went missing while on that trail,” he growled to her. “I know it wasn't you, so you're going to tell me everything you saw.”

He didn't think much of this minor figment sitting in front of him. She was obviously terrified, and he knew she had nothing to do with the missing characters. Minor characters were far too weak to do anything to egos, especially considering that both the Host and Yandere had been with the missing group.

“I didn't see anything. The Host reacted first, then the horses. He told me to run, so I did. That's all that I saw.”

Dark turned to Oliver, who was patching up the scratches on the instructor. “She doesn't appear to be lying,” he said. “All of these injuries seem to be from falls and from thorns.”

Dark took a second to stare Mariana down. She didn't look great. Physically, besides the scratches, she seemed fine, but she was out of breath, and she seemed to be panicking slightly. Dark standing over her like this probably wasn't helping. He backed down, stepping back. “We're going right back to Ego Inc. when you are done, Oliver.”

“Then what?”

“Then we start our investigation.”

When they returned home, the compound was mostly quiet. Most of the Ipliers were out that day, and those who weren't were staying to themselves. Dr. Iplier was the one there to greet them when they showed up, but he faltered upon seeing only two of the seven egos who had left walk into the common room. He stopped dead and his face went pale. “Where are they?”

“We don’t know,” Dark answered. “They went missing. We’re going to find them.”

“They went-” Iplier’s voice cracked and he stopped himself, taking a deep breath to calm down. “Missing? Even- even the Host?”

“You mean they’re gone?” Silver Shepherd stood in the doorway, with Google Blue standing behind him. The android had a worried look on his face, and while Shepherd’s face was masked, you could easily hear the concern in his voice. Blue pushed past Shepherd and went to stand in front of Dark.

“What do you need me to do?” He asked.

“I need you to monitor the forest, and tell the Ipliers to avoid it at all costs while we figure this out. And tell me where Wilford is.”

Leaving Oliver to handle Blue, Iplier, and Shepherd, Dark slipped away to seek out Wilford. He warped himself to the studio, successfully startling some of the tech crew upon his appearance. Currently Wilford was interviewing some average-looking movie star, but as soon as he saw Dark standing behind the cameras, he was up on his feet. He must have seen the serious look on Dark’s face, because he gave a signal to stop filming and was by Dark’s side quickly.

“What’s wrong, Darkimoo?”

“We need you back at the compound, Wil. We have some missing Ipliers.”

Wilford frowned at that and grabbed Dark’s hand. Suddenly the world around them swirled out of focus in a blinding burst of bright pink. A moment later they reappeared in the Iplier Inc. square. “Now that’s no good,” Wilford said, drawing Dark closer to him. “Tell me what happened?”

Dark described what he knew- which wasn’t much at all. His information was far too limited and it frustrated him to no end. All he knew was that five of his Ipliers went missing while on a trail, and it had something to do with the forest.

The forest. That place hadn’t been a problem until recently. It had always been the sight of monster attacks and encounters with weird spirits, but strange things have been happening a lot more recently. At first Dark thought it was just some period of high activity, which has happened in the past, but now he was thinking otherwise. He knew the Ipliers weren’t killed. Those who could fight back would have, and at least one of them would’ve escaped. Plus, if one of them had been killed, Dr. Iplier would be the first one to know. But he seemed just as clueless as everyone else.

He knew this was something much worse. He shrugged Wilford off of him and walked towards the forest, the journalist in tow. It seemed quiet now, but there was something in there. Something they'd never had to deal with before. He hoped that Host and the others were okay. It was his job to figure out what happened to them before it was too late.

“I know something's in there, lurking” he said to the forest. “You think you're going to get away with this, but don't think so highly of yourself. We can handle anything you throw at us.”

He stopped talking and stepped back when he heard shouting from the trees. King game rushing out of the forest and almost ran right into Wilford, but Wilford grabbed his arm before he could and righted him. “King, what's wrong?” Dark asked.

“The magic border. It’s broken down. It just- it just shattered.”


	4. Animosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Ipliers are being picked off, tensions rise among the remaining.

"Remember, Jim, you need to stay Jim. We’re on dangerous ground.”

The entire forest was sanctioned off. The announcement went out to the rest of the realm, and it was at that moment everyone knew something was terribly wrong. If the Ipliers, who were never easily disturbed, were the ones giving the warning, then that meant things were really not looking up.

Any and all activity that would’ve been in or even near the forest was shut down while the Ipliers manned the investigation. The realm went into a mild panic, because nothing like this has ever happened before. The egos weren't used to feeling this hopeless.

Of course, a handful of them felt this was an excellent opportunity for some compelling content.

“We aren't allowed to be here, but we must figure out the mystery of the treacherous forest.”

After the initial alarm and confusion, the realm settled into a state of uneasiness. Everyone was constantly tense and the discomfort and concern was evident amongst its residents. They were used to new and strange things happening, but only things directly in their creators’ control. Some insidious being in the woods appearing out of nowhere was not that.

“Earlier today, Jim, five non-Jim egos went missing in this forest. We are here to find what did it. Come on, Jim.”

Two of the four Jims decided that the rules put in place for their safety just didn't apply to them. Why would it? It was their job to go into perilous situations to report to everyone else. They didn't seem to understand that there's a distinct line between perilous and full on life threatening.

They'd slipped off without anyone noticing. They were usually out the whole day anyways, so their absence from the compound wasn't unusual. In the disorder, people didn't think that just maybe the Jims would hurl themselves straight into the danger without a second thought.

“Now listen here, Jim. The forest has always been hazardous. But we think there is a demon lurking in here. Demons, Jim! They were always out to get us.”

Currently Reporter Jim was shuffling along the ground in his usual crouch, kicking up dead leaves and generally making a lot of noise. Camera Jim was dutifully following him, if at a slightly slower pace and with a lot less sound involved.

“We are now in the area where the victims were taken. Be vigilant, Jim. We cannot be outsmarted by this demon.”

Jim C nodded enthusiastically, keeping his camera trained on Jim R. That was quite the feat, considering how fast the reporter moved and how much he was jumping all over the place. In the dense trees, he didn't have as much room to leap around, so he often ended up hitting his head on branches or bumping into a trunk.

The forest seemed relatively peaceful considering five people went missing in it earlier that same day, but appearances could be deceiving. The two Jims knew what they were getting into, but of course they didn't care. They were reckless and never thought twice about decisions.

The little light that was coming through the leaves of the trees blacked out, and purple mist began to spread across the ground. It wrapped around their feet, coiling around their legs. “Jim…” Camera Jim spoke up.

Reporter Jim had frozen in place as soon as the smoke appeared. He stared in shock as it swirled around and into shapes of animals- birds, a bear, dogs, a lion, a horse. Jim R dropped his microphone and immediately him and Jim C were on the move.

“Jim, Jim, we need to get out of here!” The reporter shouted. But they were being slowed down by some invisible force pushing on them, and there was no way they could've escaped. The shadowy animals bounded on them, and they both went down.

 

The other two Jims- Weather Jim and Newscaster Jim, were the first ones to notice their absence. Even then, it wasn't until later in the afternoon. Those two usually stay in their studio for their reports while Jim R and Jim C are out and about in the city, so they only ever see each other in the mornings and evenings.

They first noticed something was off when they were finishing for the day. Usually before they wrap up, Jim R and Jim C come in with their camera to download the film for editing. They chose not to worry about it, because sometimes the other two got distracted by something and didn't get back until dinnertime at Ego Inc.

But when dinner rolled around, they weren't there. That's when the other Ipliers realised something was up as well. And everyone freaked out.

“I can't believe they'd actually go into the forest after we specifically told them and everyone else not to.” Red growled.

“I'm not surprised. We should have expected this,” Blue replied. His attention shifted from his brother to the remaining Jims when he heard a sob. “Oh, dear.”

Bim softly punched him in the arm before standing up to comfort the two devastated egos. The Jims were as close as egos could be, closer even, so this disappearance would not be good for them. Bim himself could feel the effect of all the Ipliers gone weighing down on his back.

Dark was sitting silent at the head of the table. His face remained calm, but judging by the lashing of his aura and the blue flickers from his shell, he was definitely not calm. He was absolutely panicking, but he didn't want any of the Ipliers to see it. He had to be remain collected, because if even their leader was spooked, then they'd feel like they'd absolutely have to freak out. Dark did not want that happening. Not only would it be counterproductive, it would also be just straight up annoying.

He stood up, putting his hands on the table. His ringing sharpened, quieting everyone, save for the Jims’ choked sobs. “I need you all to calm down. We are not going to get anything done by panicking. It doesn't help anyone.”

“Then what are we supposed to do, Dark?” Dr. Iplier asked. He had been silent since Dark and Oliver returned home without the others. The situation seemed to be weighing on him the most, and he seemed extra droopy and unmotivated without the Host by his side. He always looked tired, but in the lack of sleep way. Now he just looked apathetic and exhausted of life. It was so unlike him. He looked up from the table to meet Dark's eyes. “What are we supposed to do in this situation? And don't act like you have any sort of idea- I know that you don't.”

Dark hesitated. He didn't have a plan, not really. The investigation has brought up nothing so far. What are you supposed to do when any viable witnesses disappeared? If there is zero trace of evidence to be found?

When Dark was unable to answer, Dr. Iplier just sighed and continued poking at his meal. “Looks like our leader is low on ideas. Better think of something quick, Darkiplier. Time is ticking. Because if we don't figure something out, I'm throwing myself in there to find out what it is on my own.”

“Then maybe you should,” Wilford spoke up. He had been mostly quiet through the conversation, but he was quick to jump in for Dark. “Nothing stopping you, is there, friend? How about you run right in there then what, disappear like everyone else?”

“Wil,” Dark said.

“There’s no coming back from this one, Doctor, maybe you should keep that in mind. If you're dead you just come back, but if you're taken, well, where do you go?”

“Wil, love.”

“Maybe we should plant a tracker on you and send you out there and figure out where you end up!” 

“Wilford.”

Wilford finally slowed down from his spiel, almost collapsing back into his chair. He was just as worried about this as everyone, but he wasn't handling it very well. Dr. Iplier didn’t respond to him once during the rant, just lowered his head into his hands miserably. Once Wilford finished, he was up and gone.

One by one, the other Ipliers followed him away from the table, leaving without a word. The misery and despair in the air had just increased, and the egos didn't know how to handle it. They weren't used to things being so far out of their control, to things going so wrong for them. But the doctor was right. What are you supposed to do in this situation?

Dark was left alone in the dining room with Wilford, who was the opposite of relaxed. He was obviously trying to calm himself, but Wilford has never been calm in his life. Dark just moved closer and leaned against him.

“Don't get sappy on me now, Darkimoo,” Wilford said, giving him a big grin. But the concern was evident in his eyes.

“Whatever- or whoever- is doing this…” Dark said. “I am going to make them regret ever even existing.”

“Can I help with that, Darky?”

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this one on my Phone because I didnt have my laptop oops.


	5. Misplaced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of the egos go missing, and Dark is not happy. Nobody is, for that matter. But at least now they have some sort of idea about what is going on- as small as it might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> where did it all go so wrong

The mission was stupid. They knew they shouldn't have done it, especially without Dark's permission. But Oliver had worriedly brought up that Eric's capybara, Caramia, was still in her own which was out in the forest. She was probably fine but someone would have to retrieve her before she inevitably ran out of food and water.

It was Oliver, Bing, and Red who made the trek into the forest. They were the original ones to get the capybara for Eric so they felt it was their duty of sort to keep her safe in Eric's absence. It made sense, and nobody wanted Caramia to be left alone and forgotten. So when they brought it up with some of the others, they were quick to agree.

They got to Caramia's pen fairly quickly. It wasn't that deep in the forest, only several minutes out, since it needed to be accessible. It was placed at a spot where Eric or anyone else could get there easily, but far enough out for King to be able to to keep an eye on her. She seemed happy to see them. She hadn't seen any of them for at least a day so was probably glad to see someone. “An unsung hero,” Bing said as he stroked her back. “I can’t believe we forgot about her until now.”

“Yeah, Eric is an excellent caretaker, but we probably should make an effort to help out more,” Oliver said. “Well, once we find him and the others.” With a sigh, he wrapped his arms around the animal and picked her up before passing her to Bing. “But we better get back quick while we can. We'll be no help if we go missing, too.”

Red, who was scanning the forest around them, nodded. “Yes, we should hurry.” Currently he had his rocket launchers out and activated, arms pointed in two different directions into the trees. He was alert, keeping his attention to the forest while the other two gathered up Caramia’s food bowl and toys. Waiting for something, anything to come out. He remained like this as the trio walked back to Ego Inc. Yet he still wasn’t entirely ready when it came.

Their first warning was the sky going dark. As soon as that happened, they only glanced at each other before bolting. Shapes began to form out of a purple mist, and Red fired a rocket towards them. It exploded with a large boom, sending earth flying and a tree toppling, but the mist didn’t let up. A purple coil wrapped around Bing's leg and he fell, head slamming into a nearby tree and wrenching it out of place.

They heard a ferocious barking, and a moment later a dark shape hurled out of the trees. Dark Chica. She leaped onto the shapes, growling and snarling with a ferocity they’ve never seen from her before, and she was already a ferociously violent beast. Yet despite her jumping in, the shadows still wrapped around the three. She changed her focus to them, shoving Bing back onto his feet and pushing them with her body to run faster. “Move,” she growled. “Get out.” As they ran, Oliver's arm got caught on a branch and he cried out as his arm was slashed open.

They were almost to the forest’s edge. The shadows engulfed Red and the other two watched in horror and he went down. Red attempted to fire another rocket, but it was too late, and he disappeared. Dark Chica shoved them forward, and finally they were out of the forest, but not without sacrifice. As they stumbled out and tumbled to the ground, they had to watch as the shadowy mist wrapped around Dark Chica, and she vanished.

 

Dark was pacing his office. He was far too restless to sit down but he didn’t want to leave his office without any sort of plan. He’d been holed up in there almost the whole day. Google had come by several times with reports, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Wilford showed up once or twice, each time insisting Dark come out, but to no avail.

He wasn’t expecting Silver Shepherd to burst into his office without any sort of warning. Shepherd almost ran into him, and he had to jump back to avoid being barreled over by the panicked superhero.

“What do you want?” Dark asked as Shepherd jumped onto his feet.

Silver made a nervous humming noise before pointing in the direction of the forest.. “Dark, you should really come outside. It’s uh, well, Bing and Oliver, but they said that Red and… Dark Chica are gone.”

Shepherd didn’t even have a chance to say anything else before Dark had warped out of his office and stumbled into existence outside of the forest. Lying on the floor, with Google and Green kneeling over them, was Oliver and Bing, both looking worse for wear. Oliver had a long scratch down his arm, exposing the wiring, and Bing’s left eye had gone dark and his head seemed to be twisted at a strange angle. Eric’s capybara was sitting beside Bing, her head on his chest. Dr. Iplier sat beside the animal, running his hand over her limbs to check for injuries.

“Tell me what happened, right now.”

Oliver groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position, leaning on his hands for support. “We went to retrieve Caramia,” he said. “Everything was going fine, and we were almost back, but then there were this purple... mist stuff. They formed shapes of different animals.”

“We ran, but Dark Chica must’ve been out there, and she attacked the stuff and made us run,” Bing added. “Me and Oliver got out, but she and Red just like, disappeared.”

Were they serious? “Get up,” Dark growled. He grabbed both their arms and forced them onto their feet. Oliver hissed in pain as Dark grabbed his injured arm. Beside Dark, Green made a sound of protest and Google tried to remove Dark’s hand from Oliver’s arm, but Dark ignored them both.

“You’re telling me,” he said, “that you went into the forest, against direct orders, where other several egos have gone missing, for the capybara? And in the process got another Iplier and Dark Chica taken?”

“You make it sound like Dark Chica is more important than Caramia,” Oliver said, wrenching his arm out of Dark’s grasp. “How is your pet any more important than Eric’s pet?”

“That’s not the point. Caramia would have been fine. This thing isn’t going after normal animals, or else King’s squirrels would be going missing.”

“We were afraid she would run out of food,” Bing said.

“She eats grass! Grass is everywhere out there! Or you could have gotten someone who can actually warp to get her instead of giving that thing time to take you. And now we’re missing both Google Red and Dark Chica!”

“Dark Chica must have already been out there, Dark,” Dr. Iplier spoke up from his place on the floor. His voice was small, and he sounded exhausted. “I don’t think she was following them or anything. She’s been gone all day, hasn’t she? While what those three did was stupid,” he sent a glare towards the Bing and Oliver. “I believe your little puppy might have gone missing either way.”

“And Red is gone too, Dark,” Green said. “And everyone else. You’re not the only one affected.”

“So how about instead of freaking out on these two and being selfish, we figure out a game plan.” Dr. Iplier pushed himself onto his feet, looking at Dark with tired eyed. “Because we’ve finally got a lead. Witnesses.”

Dark examined the group. The four remaining androids and the doctor. Any one of them could be taken as well, and he didn’t want that to happen. The Ipliers were being picked off, and he couldn’t let it continue. He swallowed his pride and nodded. “Fine. Tell me everything you saw.” He noted their injuries, the sparks flying out of Oliver’s arm and the strange way Bing was holding his head. “Blue, Green, get them fixed up. Shepherd!”

Shepherd, who had finally caught up with Dark, froze as he was approaching. “Yes?”

“Shepherd, I need you to go get the Septics.” Dark scowled at the thought of the group. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think we’ll need their help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! Next chapter or possibly two (because that's what I have in my outline but I may switch it around) will take place in the real world, so we shall see what happens!  
> This took a while! Because I was stuck and I did NOT know what to do or where to go. But I did it, so good job to me.  
> Thanks for reading :)


	6. Wandering and Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the missing Ipliers have game plans. Others, not so much. All they can do is hope for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.  
> This one was... hard. But I did it! And I already have ideas for the next chapters. I just had to finish this one so I can move on. So chapter seven isn't going to (or at least shouldn't) take a month.  
> This was going to be posted yesterday but uh, Damien happened so. That is Fun for Everyone.

The Host was surprised nobody had called the police on him yet. A frightening looking man in a trench coat, and with bloody bandages over his eyes, wandering through Seattle with a baseball bat.

It's only been around a day or so. Really, he's lost track. He was so exhausted, and just wanted to go home. Too bad it wasn't so easy.

It wasn't impossible, he knew that. He could always ask for help. But who in their right mind would help a creepy man coming up to them and asking them for a ride to Los Angeles. Nobody would trust that. And nobody seemed all that willing to give Host money, either. Sure, a few coins here and there, a dollar or two if he is lucky, but Host knew people's attitudes towards the homeless, so he knew he wasn't going to go anywhere with this.

Maybe once he gets back home he'll ask Mark to do a charity stream for a homeless charity. 

For now, though, he could only afford to worry about himself. He’s so far managed to keep away from the crowds, sticking to alleys and more deserted parks.

Currently he was wandering, towards a park he knew was in this direction, when someone grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against a wall, hard. His bat flew out of his hand and hit the ground, and he followed it as the person shoved him to the ground.

He cried out when his head slammed into the wall, and whoever had pushed him down kicked him in the face. He reached out to try and grab his bat, but someone stepped on his hand. He heard laughter from above him. There was more than one person.

He growled. If he was able to use his abilities, not only would he be able to tell where they are, but he'd be able to ruin their lives with just a couple words. Yet here he was, completely helpless. He hated it.

He reached for his baseball bat again. It took him a second to find it on the floor, but as soon as he did he swung it upwards. He felt a satisfying thump as he hit someone, followed by a lot of cursing. He swung the bat against, this time hearing a much sharper sound as he hit the other person on what he assumed and hoped was their head.

He jumped back onto his feet and sprinted off, not particularly noticing where he was going, just knowing he was going in vaguely the right direction. He stumbled several times and ran into multiple walls, but eventually he slowed down to catch his breath, feeling confident enough that he had gotten far enough away.

This was awful. In such a short time he already felt half dead. Every second he was regretting his existence more and more. Where were the others? Any moment now they'd find him and help him. After all, Host knew how protective Dark was of the Ipliers. He didn't necessarily care about all of them, but an attack on the Ipliers was an attack on Dark's power and reputation. And when it boiled down to it, that was all that mattered.

So Host knew the others would find him eventually. It's just a matter of how long that would actually take.

Eventually he found the park and once he found a bench he collapsed onto it, too exhausted to really do anything. He eventually fell asleep.

He wasn't sure how long he was dozing, but he woke up to something wet and cold touching his hand.

 

Ed hummed happily as he counted the money he'd gotten. It wouldn't get him that far, but any progress is better than none. Besides, he could just find more money at whatever his next destination is.

His biggest problem so far was that reputation of his that was spreading. Everyone was talking about the recent muggings, all done by a guy with sunglasses, a hat, and a big mustache.

That wasn't too big of a concern, since Ed, from experience, was excellent at evading police. His main worry was actually being recognized. With the hat, mustache, and sunglasses, he didn't look look like Mark as much as many of the other Ipliers did. However, if he wasn't careful, there was the chance that a fan might recognize him as Ed Edgar.

Luckily, he had one big advantage. Everyone knows Mark is real, but nobody knows Ed is. Chances are, they’d look at him and thing, ‘oh , that's funny. That guy looks like Cyndago’s Ed Edgar.’ He didn't want to take that risk, though. Even he knew that being recognized in public would lead to disasters. Even if nothing terribly bad happened, he'd likely end up facing Mark's anger, and Dark's wrath. The two didn't agree on much, but staying secret was one common interest.

Did they even know he was gone? And the others, too? Dark probably knew, he had been waiting for them to finish the trail, and he was pretty sure the instructor lady at gotten out fine. But had Dark bothered to tell Mark? 

Either way, Ed wasn't terribly bothered. He was doing fine, and if he managed to keep up this good work, he'd eventually find his way home.

He wondered briefly how the others were doing. Yandere would be fine. Host definitely would too, what with his narrations. Randall would likely be okay. Eric, probably not. Ed liked the kid fine, but he couldn't say he had confidence in his abilities.

But none of that was really at the forefront of his mind. He's never been a particularly sentimental person. His general policy was that he'd worry about his problems, and let everyone else worry about their own. How the others were doing was none of his concern. What he needed right now was to grab a ride home.

He was attempting to track down a taxi when he heard a voice behind him. “Excuse me, sir?” He turned around and his heart dropped to his feet.

Cops. Two officers stood in front of him, uniform and all.

“We're going to have to ask you to come with us.”

Shit.

He shoved his cash and his pocket, turned, and sprinted off. He had to get out of there.

 

Yan was finding this a lot more stressful than originally expected. He'd been driving for about seven hours when he decided he should stop, and found a place in some small Ohio town some ways east from Columbus. He hoped nobody will realise his car was stolen, but unless his little theft made national news, he was sure he'd be fine.

Currently he was parked on the side of a barren road, eating an egg salad sandwich he'd stolen from the deli section of the local grocery store. It was okay, he's had better. Bing makes pretty good ones that can rival this one any day. If only Bing were here, he'd make Yan an even better sandwich.

Shame he wasn’t here. Yan would die for a good egg salad sandwich right now. He’d probably murder for one if he had the chance.

He was exhausted. A full day of almost non-stop driving, fueled by nothing but candy and spite. And now he was stuck in Ohio with two thousand miles and an interdimensional portal between him and home.

What happened to the others on the trail? Did they end up lost somewhere like he did? Did they got away? Were they brutally slaughtered? He had no way of knowing and it frustrated him to no end. He almost always was privy to inside information. Being part of the Ipliers meant he had access to information many others didn’t. And his contact with Info-chan proved ever-useful every day. Yet out here, he had no way of getting any of that. He was completely isolated.

He knew this wouldn’t last forever. He’d get home and help Dark tear apart whatever or whoever it was that did this. Whatever that weird smokey stuff was. They’d save the day and then maybe everything could go back to normal. Yan was probably missing loads of homework right now.

He finished his sandwich and tried to figure out the situation. He still had days of driving left to do if he wanted to get home. If he was lucky, maybe Dark and the others will fix the situation before hand and he won’t have to drive all that way. Maybe he could hitch a ride on an airplane to LA. He wondered where the nearest airport was.

His last thoughts before dozing off was that when he got home, Bing owes him an egg salad sandwich.

 

Randall had no idea what he was doing. He was an incredibly young ego, barely half a year old, without any special powers. The other Ipliers had years of experience under their belts, and fancy magic, and endless amounts of fans. Randall was just… Randall.

He was stuck here in Philadelphia with Eric, and Eric wad depending on him. If only they had ended up just slightly northeast. He knew his way around New York fine. Although he wasn’t entirely sure why, he’s never actually been there in his life. It was just sort of… programmed into him.

But Philadelphia was a completely different playground. He knew nothing about this place except it had a bunch of important historical stuff. And that it was where the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was born and raised. You know, before his life got flip-turned upside down.

Although Randall’s is a bit flip-turned right now. (In New York City born in raised?)

Eric had mostly calmed down. In a relative sense of the word. He wasn’t actively freaking out, but Randall was worried it was one of those instances where everything becomes so overwhelming that Eric just shuts down. It’s happened before, like when Eric met the Ipliers the first time. It wasn’t a fun time for anyone involved.

The two of them had spent the day wandering, getting food where possible and trying to figure out ways to get across an entire country. They’d love to be able to contact literally everyone, but even if they did get their hands on a phone, how in the world would they be able to call Mark? None of the egos bothered memorizing phone numbers- what was the point? Phones didn’t work across dimensions, and if and character and creator needed to talk to each other, they were just a portal away.

So they were in a bit of a pickle.

Just a bit.

At this point, the sun was setting, and they needed someplace to stay. But where in the world could they stay without money or friends? They were both getting tired, and morale was lower than ever. Eric seemed incredibly sluggish, and that was incredibly worrying for Randall. Eric was always the opposite of sluggish. He was always on his feet, alert, waiting for the next danger. Randall was definitely not used to seeing him this lethargic.

Randall wasn’t looking where he was going. He should have been. A big city like this meant there were always at least a couple of people out and about, even in a quieter part. The two slammed right into some helpless person.

Randall was quick to offer a hand, but as soon as the two made eye contact, the other person gasped and scrambled back onto their feet, stepping back in surprise. Randall felt his body go numb in shock at what they said.

“I… I know who you are!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OC ex machina
> 
> You know this is probably my longest chapter. Good to know!


	7. Places to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troubles are arising in the real world. Our missing friends are lost, but not all of them are alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My temporary title for this one was "Is this what regret feels like?"
> 
> You can really tell who I prefer to write for in these last two chapters...

Dark Chica sniffed along the ground. After that mist stuff had taken her, she woke up in some city around sunset. As soon as she'd woken up, she knew something was incredibly wrong. She felt off, different. Like her body had been pulled apart and placed back together.

She was glad she'd jumped into the battle when she did. Bing, Red, and Oliver would not have stood a chance. They'd have all vanished if Dark Chica hadn’t chosen to help them out at that moment. At the time she was out in the forest because she herself was investigating to see what was up. She was lucky to come across the trio before they'd all disappeared.

Unfortunately, Red had still been caught, and so had she. Now she was in this strange place feeling like her body has been rearranged. She managed to push herself onto her feet, or paws, rather. She was in some kind of alley, it seemed.

Despite the sun going down, there were still sounds of city, accompanied by an onslaught of smells, very few of them familiar to her. She also smelt dust and food and humans. And… oh, she definitely knew that smell.

With her nose on the ground, she followed the scent. It smelled like blood, and like someone she knew quite well. She recognized it right away. The Host! She charged out of the alley to follow the smell, ignoring the screaming of the terrified people she ran past, as they desperately scrambled out of her way to avoid being trampled.

After following the smell for about half an hour, she finally found her target in a mostly empty park. There- the Host was sitting on a bench. His coat was pulled tight over him and he seemed to be dozing. He had his baseball bat in both hands across his lap.

He didn't look in very good shape. It looked like he had been attacked. He has a nasty-looking bruise on his cheek, and his forehead was scraped up. He was bleeding from a cut along his jawline. She padded over to him and nudged at his hand with her nose. He jolted awake, grabbing his bat and leaping onto his feet. “Who is there?” He asked, his voice shaky.

Why wasn't he using his narrations? “Dark Chica,” She said to him, but he didn't react. Why couldn't he hear her? “Host.” Nothing. Was her telepathy not working? 

She licked his hand and pushed her head under it. He tilted his head and went to pet her, but stopped when realizing how tall she was. “Dark Chica?”

“Yes, me!” She attempted to say, but once again Host didn’t seem to reacting. Instead she gave a bark and nudged his hip with her head. 

“Why is Dark Chica not saying anything?” Host asked, stroking her neck. “Did she lose her abilities like the Host did?”

Lose her abilities? She jumped backwards and and scanned the dark park, before spotting an abandoned soccer ball. She reached out with her aura to try and pick it up, but nothing happened. The area seemed to darken the tiniest bit, but that was it. No shadowy tendrils or colour-sapping darkness. That was why she had felt so awful when she woke up. Her abilities, gone without a trace.

She whined and pressed herself against the Host, who stroked her back. “The Host woke up here in Seattle yesterday. Did the smoke get Dark Chica as well?”

Dark Chica nodded, keeping her head against the Host’s side so that she was sure he felt the motion. How were they supposed to get anywhere or do anything if she was unable to communicate and he was unable to use his narrations? All they were now were a blind man and a strange, giant golden retriever.

“The Host has always been able to see with his narrations, and so has never truly experienced being blind. He is unable to get around as well as he should,” Host said. “Although he doesn't feel completely in the dark... but Dark Chica can help lead the Host, if she is alright with that,”

Dark Chica barked in response, licking Host’s face. With her height, she barely even had to lift her head to do that. Host grinned and reached up to scratch her ears.

“It looks like it’s just Dark Chica and the Host for now.”

Dark Chica wished she could answer, but instead she sat down next to the bench and tugged on Host’s sleeve to have him sit back down. She rested her head on his lap, and they both fell asleep.

 

Red blinked awake, squinting up at the sky. Oh, that was a strange feeling. Often he shut down and charged at night before he ran out of battery, but occasionally he would just work too hard and end up powering off before he could reacher his charger. If that happened, often one of the other Googles had to carry him down to the workshop and plug him in. Whenever he woke up after that, he always felt slightly off. That’s what he felt like right now.

Yet he didn't feel energized or anything like he would after a charging. Instead he felt gross and droopy, like he was sick. But he was a robot, he didn't get sick.

He attempted to pull himself to his feet but fell almost immediately. He could barely move his legs. What in the world was wrong with him?

He took a second to check his battery. Oh. That was why. 

Red knew a thing or two about numbers, and he could say with certainty that four wasn't a very large one.

Well, he supposed it depends on what there was four of. The four dead rats he found in Dark Chica's kennel the other day was a lot of dead rats. The four demons that the Ipliers had to help expel several months ago was a lot of demons.

But four percent battery? He was boned.

He managed to at least sit up so he could take in his surroundings. He was surrounded by trees, and the ground he was sitting on was covered in dirt and leaves. That's strange. Was he still in the forest?

No. The trees were different. They were too tall, and the leaves were wrong. Pines. Weird. They didn't have these kind of trees anywhere in the realm. None that he's seen, at least.

He tried to pull up his GPS, but it wasn't connecting. Where in the world was he? He couldn't be in the real world, could he?

He checked his battery again. Three percent. What was he supposed to do? There was no way he could recharge where he was, and he'd be unable to find any with what low battery he had. Even when his GPS manages to sync with the real world satellites, there's no way he'd be able to find a way to charge in time.

Using the closest tree for support, he managed to get onto his feet and stand up. This was awful. When he was low on battery like this usually he just felt exhausted. But now he actually felt nauseous. That's what it was, right? He wasn't entirely sure, he's never experienced it before.

Two percent. A significantly smaller amount of dead rats. Why was he losing battery so quickly?

He decided it was better to move than just standing here waiting for his demise. But that was much easier said than done. After a couple stumbling steps, he tripped and collapsed. One percent.

Is this how it's going to be? Is he really going to power down out here alone, with no way of getting his energy back? He really would have rathered going out in some kind of fiery explosion, but not everyone can get what they want, it seems.

Talk about bad luck.

He grabbed the tree again in a desperate attempt to pull himself back up, but he knew it was pointless. A second, and then zero.

His vision went black and he hit the floor.

 

Reporter Jim really wasn't having a good time. First of all, never in his life has he been away from another Jim. He always had at least one of the others by his side, and now he was alone. Second of all, he lost his microphone. Not quite as devastating, but still up there. What was he supposed to do without it?

He had no idea where he was, which was pretty normal, but he didn't have any idea where any of the other Jims were. Which is ridiculous. Every Jim always knew where the other Jims were at all times. Yet his mental map was somehow flawed.

Okay, it was flawed more often than not. The other Jims were always better at that than he was. Still, he was coming up blank, and that was not normal. 

Was he even alive? Maybe the demon got him CJ after all. Was this what the afterlife was? He sat up to take in his surroundings. He seemed to be in a park. There was a playground and several families wandering about. A couple passed him and gave him a strange look. Had they seen him sleeping? The sky was mostly clear and beyond a tree line he could see suburban houses. 

His head shot up when he sensed something. It was faint, incredibly faint, coming from- what direction was that? It was almost nothing, he couldn't even tell. It was unmistakably Camera Jim, but it was like the link wasn't working. Not as well, at least.

Was he really in the afterlife, and that's why it wasn't working? Or did the demon drag him into some other dimension?

He got onto his feet and spun in a slow circle, trying desperately to pinpoint at least a vague direction, but coming up empty.

Without thinking about it much, he took off. He wasn't sure how long it would take, or if he was even going in the right direction, but he had to find CJ. They had to get home.

 

Camera Jim knew he got lucky as soon as he woke up Disney hotel room. Really, it was just a matter of _why had he woken up in a Disney hotel room? ___

__He woke up in the most comfortable bed in the world. He vaguely noticed Reporter Jim... somewhere? He instinctively jumped onto his feet at that. Wait, where was he? He grabbed his camera and stumbled out of the room and found his way to the lobby. By the time he was there, he figured out he was in a Disney hotel. Which meant he was in the real world._ _

__What…?_ _

__That smokey stuff had booted him out of the realm, and by the looks of it, RJ too. Is that what had happened to everyone else? And what was wrong with the link? It was like something was blocking it, trying to hide RJ from him. He knew RJ was out there, but where?_ _

__He could get home easily, he knew. He was in Anaheim, which was about an hour from Los Angeles. He patted at his pockets and his heart dropped. He had no wallet._ _

__So that smokey stuff had left him his camera but took all his cash? Seriously?_ _

__Well, an hour drive was what, a day's walk?_ _

__He hesitated walking out of the door. He could get to LA and return to the realm, but what about RJ? He was still out here, wasn't he? And who knew where he could possibly be? What was he supposed to do in this situation? He didn't want to leave Reporter Jim, but…_ _

__He knew he had to get home first, and tell the others about that smokey stuff, whatever it is. Was it a demon like they'd assumed? Was the forest actually being haunted by some kind of demonic creature? It would explain what they saw, but he didn't want it to be true._ _

__Demons… Camera Jim hated them. RJ had always been fascinated by the supernatural, but CJ tried his best to avoid it. Of course that was hard, in a realm like theirs and with a leader like Dark. But where Reporter Jim thrived in the spooky stuff, Camera Jim despised it._ _

__He gripped the camera tighter. If it was a demon, he had to get the others to help. He really didn't want to, but he had to leave RJ behind._ _

__But he'll come back with backup._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, next chapter is back in the realm and should be soon because I actually started writing it before this one, because I wasn't sure what order I wanted them to be in. ALSO in this chapter. I did a much better job at showing that their abilities are not entirely gone, just nearly. Last chapter was more subtle about it than I wanted it to be, but whatever.  
> I'm excited for next chapter because we get a lot of excellent Dr. Iplier content and honestly the whole chapter is him arguing with literally everyone and that's always fun to write.


	8. Seeds of a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ipliers (and a few visitors) gather to discuss a course of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Dr. Iplier argues a lot
> 
> You know, for someone who claims they don't like to write dialogue, I sure love writing dialogue. (Should I even bother with Schneep's accent?)  
> This chapter is much longer than the others so that's pretty cool. Content!

"One of these days, Doctor, I'm going to have to kill you," Dark said. He was standing in Dr. Iplier's office, watching the doctor dig through his stuff, occasionally tossing something into a small pile of supplies and clothes beside his desk.

"You already have, Dark. Several times, in fact."

"Have I?"

"Yes." He stood up onto his toes and reached up to grab bandages from one of the cabinets. "December 2013, when I met you for the first time and pointed out that you're a walking dead body. January 2015, when you got mad at me for making fun of you when you got attacked by a bear." He turned around and tossed the bandages into the pile before giving Dark a look. "February 2017, when I said that you could do worse than stealing Mark's date. April 2018 when I insulted Wilford's new shirt."

Dark considered it. "I suppose I have, then. Although the last one was Wilford, mostly." He frowned when he watched Iplier slam the cabinets shut before opening a box on the floor and rummaging through it. "And _what _are you doing?"__

__"Preparing for the worst. Somebody has to."_ _

__"I never took you to be a doomsday prepper. Don't you laugh at car crashes?"_ _

__"Depends- who's in the car?" He tossed a small first-aid kit into the pile. He straightened up and raised an eyebrow at Dark. "Shouldn't you be talking to Bing and Oliver about what they saw in the forest?"_ _

__"Google is refusing to let me talk to them until they're repaired."_ _

__"You probably can't tell, because he's not a very showy emotions sort of guy, but he's pretty upset with you," Iplier grabbed a backpack from a hook on the wall and began shoving his supplies into it. "I mean, he's not the only one, but you know how touchy he is about his upgrades. And Bing, too."_ _

__Dark scowled as he watched Iplier pack the bag. "What are you actually doing, doctor?"_ _

__"I told you already."_ _

__"No, you didn't."_ _

__Iplier sighed and turned around to face Dark. "I have… a theory. We know that nobody was killed, or else I would've known. And we know they're not in the realm, or else Newscaster and Weather would have tracked the other Jims down already. So, where else could they be?"_ _

__“You’re saying they’re in the real world.”_ _

__"I don't know. Maybe." He grabbed the bag and pulled it onto his back. "But it- it's better than nothing, right? Better than what you're doing."_ _

__"Doctor, I don't think you should rush into this."_ _

__"See Dark, the problem is you just don't care. Someone goes missing and you're frustrated because you lost a soldier. But as soon as it's Dark Chica, or Wilford, suddenly it's so important to you." He sneered, an expression that was so unlike him. "And now you've sent Silver after the Septics, of all characters."_ _

__Both egos jumped when they heard a knock at the door. Silver stood in the doorway, looking anxious as he fiddled with his gloves. "Dark, uh, I'm back. I've brought Jackie, Marvin, and uh, and Schneeplestein."_ _

__Iplier huffed and Dark gave a Silver a nod. "Excellent, Shepherd. Take them to the meeting room, and check if Bing and Oliver are repaired, as I'll need them there too. Gather everyone else, as well."_ _

__"Will do."_ _

__He turned to Dr. Iplier. "And you, Doctor, need to get over yourself."_ _

__"Shut up, Dark, I know what I'm doing."_ _

__Dark watched Silver leave before stepping closer to Dr. Iplier. "You need to stop." His voice had a dangerous edge to it, and Iplier winced when the ringing spiked. "I'm going to go into that meeting room, and I want you to come with me. I don't need you running off on any… quests. Not yet. Not until we have a set plan. We will, soon, and you are going to have to trust me on that."_ _

__"Dark, you and I are both aware of just how not trustworthy you are."_ _

__"Fine, then…" Dark reigned in his aura and tried to keep himself calm. "Think of it this way- I just want my damn dog back."_ _

__"Dark-"_ _

__"And you want the Host back. Neither of us can solve this problem on our own… So instead of trusting me, perhaps you can trust our mutual need. That way we both get what we want." He held out his hand and with a sigh, Iplier grabbed and shook it._ _

__"Excellent," Dark said. His aura flashed red for a second. "Now drop the bag. And don't kill any of the Septics. Wait until we don't need them anymore. Then after that, please have at it, and don't let me ruin your fun."_ _

__Iplier pulled his hand out of Dark's and dropped the backpack onto the floor. "I'm no murderer, Dark."_ _

__Dark gave Iplier a cold grin, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We all have blood on our hands, Doctor. Don't lie to yourself." He held out an arm for him. "Come along, we have guests waiting for us."_ _

__Iplier scowled but looped his arm through Dark's, and they vanished in a swirl of shadows._ _

__When they reappeared in the meeting room, the three Septics were already there. Jackieboy and Henrik were standing in the front of the room by the head chair, which Marvin had claimed and was lounging back in. Iplier felt Dark tense up beside him and quickly pulled away._ _

__Iplier didn't hate the Septics. In fact, he got along with them quite well, at least most of them. He liked Jackie fine, and didn't know Marvin well enough to really have an opinion on the magician. As for Schneeplestein, he more often than not had… altercations with the other doctor, but they got along (mostly) fine the rest of the time._ _

__It's just that the Septics were… hard to work with. They were constantly in varying states of disarray and they all got into arguments very easily. And with so few of them, it wasn't like you could pick and choose who you wanted to work with. You got six whole choices and one of them will, without a doubt, try to kill you._ _

__If you could even manage to talk to Anti. He was barely even around. Nobody would see him for months at a time, then suddenly he'd show up to wreak havoc for a while before disappearing again- just like he did on YouTube. Honestly, he probably held the record for number of mutilated bodies left in the streets._ _

__Not that the Ipliers were much better. In fact, they were probably worse to have to work with. Dr. Iplier knew he himself was, at least- he had several people telling him that very often, both Dark and Schneep included. Every day since meeting Dark he'd been the target of insults about a "lack of filter," and Schneep will often non-stop complain about Iplier's temper._ _

__Septics and Ipliers… they just didn't mix well. Two incredibly powerful groups of egos- one group (mostly) made up of generally decent people, and the other group consistently and reliably awful in every way. There was also the matter of the structure of both groups. The Septics were a small group of friends. The Ipliers were an organization. The Septics were loose and relaxed. The Ipliers had a distinct structure led by Dark and Wilford._ _

__So you can't just put them in the same place and expect them to work flawlessly._ _

__After some semi-awkward greetings, Silver reappeared with Oliver and Green, along with Wilford, Bim, King, and both remaining Jims. Wilford dislodged Marvin from the head chair and claimed his rightful place while everyone else took their own seats._ _

__"Where are Google and Bing?" Dark asked Silver and the Googles._ _

__"Bing was pretty damaged," Oliver replied. "Google is staying behind to finish repairing him."_ _

__"And he said that he was worried he might shoot you if he saw you again," Green added. Beside him, Silver shuddered at that as he took his seat while Oliver punched Green in the arm. Despite Green's joking tone, he looked sullen and angry, his eyes unusually dim. Oliver was the same way._ _

__Dark frowned and cracked his neck, unconsciously moving his hand over the bullet scar on his chest. "I'm sure he knows I would gladly return the favour. Sit down, then. There is much we have to discuss." Once everyone was in their seats, he scanned the room. Even with their three visitors, the group was smaller than usual. Eight Ipliers, plus Dark Chica- that was nine egos missing. And that was only within their circle- who knew who else had disappeared?_ _

__"First, I must welcome our guests," Dark said, regarding the three Septics. He actually had a much lower opinion of them than Dr. Iplier did, but he did know how useful they could be as allies. "And I implore everyone to keep in mind that we all have a common interest here. This is a problem we must all tackle together. First, you two," he turned his attention to Green and Oliver. "Are there any more reports of missing egos we should know about?"_ _

__Green tapped his fingers against his desk as a holographic screen appeared before his eyes. "Let's see. Two minor characters went missing during a hike. Three more who live at the edge of the forest. Nothing we haven't seen already, these are all minor characters." He paused and frowned. "Wait, that's new…"_ _

__Oliver read over Green's shoulder and they both dawned twin faces of horror. "Emile Picani, and Deceit" Oliver muttered. "As of half an hour ago."_ _

__Dark's ringing spiked for half a second. "What?" He growled._ _

__"And- and the Night Guard, and Eevee, Nugget, the Principle of the Thing… Random Encounters is not doing- holy…" Oliver was almost rambling now as he read the list._ _

__"These aren't minor characters, and they're all recent, none of these were reported last time we checked," Green said, scanning the names. "And Dark, only half of these actually happened in the forest."_ _

__The room erupted into noise._ _

__"So we need to do something!" Jackieboy spoke up enthusiastically, shouting over everyone else. "Now and quick, before it gets worse."_ _

__Dr. Iplier made eye contact with Dark, with an expression on his face that quite clearly said 'I told you so.'_ _

__Dark stood up and his aura lashed out, silencing everyone. "Our doctor here had a theory," Dark said, motioning towards Dr. Iplier. "One that I see no reason to disregard. Doctor, if you will?"_ _

__Dr. Iplier curled his lip but explained his theory. "They're in the real world- at least, I think. They haven't been killed because I would have sensed that, but they aren't in this realm," He paused to motion towards the Jims, who both seemed almost lethargic. "The Jims haven't sensed the other two at all since their disappearance. So that leaves the real world as a likely candidate."_ _

__"You're saying that we should just, what, track down these characters in the real world? That's a lot of surface area to cover, Iplier," Schneeplestein said._ _

__"Not necessarily. I doubt they can all manage to keep on the down low. If they're in the real world, no doubt they would have done something that ends up on the news."_ _

__"What about the new one- Eric? He seems the least likely to cause a scene. What if you can't find him?"_ _

__"It's a start, Henrik. And it's better than nothing."_ _

__"Even then, it solves the problem of where they are, but what won't stop whatever is taking them."_ _

__"Which is why we need to find everyone- we need help if we are going to stop it."_ _

__"But if we find them it could just take them again! We need to tackle the main problem first!"_ _

__"Henrik, we have some powerful egos out there. If we can find them, not only would we be able to stand a better chance, but they could help us find everyone else."_ _

__"If they are so powerful, then why haven't they gotten back on their own?"_ _

__Iplier faltered. Why hadn't they? Not all of them had the strongest abilities, but the ones who did should easily be back by now. The Host could just warp back, and so could Dark Chica. So why haven't they returned?_ _

__"That's a problem," Bim muttered._ _

__"See?" Schneeplestein said. "I'm not saying they're not in the real world. I just feel we should think this through first. Do you even know what we're up against?"_ _

__"Oh, of course!" Wilford said. "Ollie, you must tell us what you saw!"_ _

__"Yes, that may help us figure out what it is and how to stop it," Dark said._ _

__"Wait, you saw it?" Jackie jumped in. "And you got out? What was it? How did you get out?"_ _

__Oliver glanced nervously at Dark. "Someone had to buy us time. Dark Chica- she bought us time."_ _

__"Maybe if we all rushed it?" Silver suggested._ _

__"That only slows it down, though, right?" King said. "It might stop it, but we can't be sure."_ _

__"What is 'it,' anyways?" Marvin asked. His eyes flashed green behind his mask. "What did you even see in there?"_ _

__"It was like smoke," Oliver said. "It blocked the sunlight and it was purple and black. It turned into these animal shapes before it attacked us."_ _

__Suddenly, both the Jims jumped up and whirled towards the door. "Jim,” Jim W muttered. in a flash, they were gone, sprinting out of the meeting room._ _

__"Where are you going?" Dark said. "Iplier, follow them." Dr. Iplier nodded and charged after them. He followed them into the common room and pulled up short. Standing at the entrance of the portal was Camera Jim, with Mark standing beside him. The Jims both leapt onto CJ, causing him to stumble back and almost drop his camera._ _

__“Mark,” Dr. Iplier muttered._ _

__“Yes, hi. Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?”_ _

__

__Anti woke up disoriented and feeling sick. The sky was blue above his head- very different than the black of his own pocket dimension where he preferred to hide out. Where was he?_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably my favourite chapter I've written so far, honestly.  
> And the Septic's will have more content! There wasn't a lot in this chpater but I have plans!!  
> But Kate, where's Chase and JJ? Well let me tell you- Chase is a literally nightmare for me to write and I'm still sort of figuring out how I'm going to characterize JJ. We'll see them soon, though...
> 
> Also I've made some small changes to the character tags if you may have noticed, because my non-newtonian plans are solidifying and I have some ideas
> 
> Also tell me if I should keep Schneep's dialogue like that or write it normally  
> Edit: I realise it's awful to read and anyone can read it normally, and I realised it could be offensive and I have no say in that, so I changed it back to normal.


End file.
